Overview

ABC Communications (ABC) is a local internet service provider in Northern British Columbia (ABC). ABC Communications is one of the earliest internet service providers (ISP) to rural areas of BC. In fact, it can be hard to believe that the internet can still be hard to find in rural areas, since big brand ISP providers like Shaw and Telus, typically focus on urban centers.

Rural British Columbia is a source of niche markets that have created opportunities for local internet service providers, like ABC Communications, to step in and build deep ties to these communities. ABC Communications offers services such as dial-up, broadband wireless network as well as phone and TV cable to DSL and Fiber Optics to small and enterprise-level businesses.

When ABC Communications did all their media buy and campaign in-house, their team was repeating the same marketing plan every year, including their media buy strategy. ABC Communications was noticing a decline in their ROI month after month, with no increase in their client base. They wanted to revamp their existing marketing plan and strengthen their brand identity to further connect with their existing and potential customer base.

The CEO of ABC Communications, Bob, hired Pace Creative to set in to develop a content marketing strategy and execute quarterly campaign strategies that uses promotion and brand awareness using marketing channels such as print, OOH (out-of-home) marketing, and introducing ad channels online, on social media, and using other digital methods throughout Northern BC. A customized message via a content marketing strategy approach started to be considered, with intentions to fulfill referral marketing targets, increase searchability, and increase their customer base.

 

Challenge

How to market an ISP that wants to grow its market share locally?

Challenge

How do we improve online searchability and reduce the website bounce rate?

Challenge

Digital and online marketing is crucial for improving searchability and reducing bounce rates, especially for services that can be fully (and are often) discovered and purchased online.

Challenge

How do we effectively reach specific target personas?

How to create an ISP marketing and advertising to strategy to match future market demands as younger families and customers are moving from urban to more rural areas?

Solution

Each integrated quarterly ISP advertising and marketing campaign had 3 main objective which had to be individually addressed:
• Marketing for new customers
• Marketing for existing customers
• Marketing for referrals

Solution

We focused our efforts in developing a brand for ABC based on strong values that conveyed a memorable (and long lasting) positioning to their audience. This style guide is meant create a stronger, unified brand to help build long term brand recognition and brand equity.

Solution

The purpose of each campaign was to create a distinct and recognizable brand with a strong look that increased credibility against already established competitors.

Result

When working on campaigns, developing customized and consistent messaging is crucial.

Each campaign concept needs to be developed around a central theme that effectively engages with both new and established audiences.

Result

All ISP advertising and marketing materials for print, OOH, online, and digital channels were developed with a cohesive look and consistent messaging.

Result

ABC Communications entered the Vancouver and Lower Mainland market in 2018 and gained significant traction as a local ISP. This new strategy allowed ABC Communications to meet its growth targets.

Result

In the spring of 2020, ABC Communications was purchased by Telus, their new parent company.

This was particularly important in effectively expanding ABC Communication’s market share, since many of the rural markets that they were serving were becoming highly saturated by bigger companies, including Telus and Shaw.

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